Of the 52 horse-and-rider combinations representing nine countries entered in Friday’s $65,000 Welcome Stake of North Salem presented by The Kincade Group, only three went double-clear over Alan Wade’s initial 16-effort course and shortened jump-off track set at 1.50m. Bringing home top honors were Colombia’s Mark Bluman and Ubiluc, who finished on a faultless score of 37.87 seconds.
Twelve entries made it to the jump-off for the $65,000 Welcome Stake of North Salem presented by The Kincade Group, but several downed rails scattered around the course left only three standing with faultless rounds. Bluman led the way with Over The Top Stables LLC’s 12-year-old Mecklenburg gelding, tripping the timers in a steady 37.87 seconds.
“The first round had a tough track,” Bluman said. “I mean, it’s Alan Wade, one of the best course designers in the world. He set a big enough track with a tricky combination [#4AB] that came early. My horse handled it well, and he had two spectacular rounds. In the jump-off, my goal was just to have a nice, clean round, and then I had to basically hope for the best. I was fast enough for the win, but I didn’t want to go too fast and risk a rail.
“In the first round, he already looked at the early fences a little bit, so I actually made my plan to come nicely into that combination [#3 to #4AB] and run fast everywhere else [for the jump-off],” he added. “I knew Conor Swail would come in just blazing, and I was just lucky enough today. He had one down, but he blazed my time and was two seconds faster than me. Sometimes, you just need a little luck, and today it stayed on my side.”
Jessica Mendoza (GBR) claimed second place in 37.99 seconds with her 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare In The Air, while Philip McGuane (IRL) finished third in 42.60 seconds aboard Paso Doble SCF, Evergate Stables LLC’s 9-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare. The three fastest teams – Conor Swail (IRL) and his own Casturano, Jordan Coyle (IRL) and Elan Farm’s Chaccolino, and Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) and Artemis Equestrian Farm LLC’s Dhalida – landed in fourth (0/4/35.76), fifth (0/4/37.02), and sixth (0/4/37.73), respectively, after dropping a rail each.
“Ubiluc is a horse that’s been part of the family since he was six years old,” Bluman said. “I rode him a bit when he was 6 and 7, and then my cousin Daniel took over the ride for five years. Last year, he had plenty of horses and I didn’t have as many, so he said I could take the ride back and campaign. It’s been paying off well for me; I’ve broken into the Top 100 riders in the world, and it’s all thanks to Ubiluc.”
source: Press Release